How Stress Works

Emotional stress can come from a variety of sources -- from too much work at the office to the death of a loved one. Sometimes stress is self-imposed, such as when we put pressure on ourselves to perform perfectly in every situation. Other times, stress comes from the outside, and we have no control over it. Regardless of its origins, however, stress can take a serious toll on body, mind, and soul.

You can't avoid stress -- it's everywhere. However, as this article will show, you can learn how to control your responses to stress and prevent it from controlling your life and damaging your health and well-being. Your emotional and mental health are every bit as important as your physical well-being. Find out how you can take as good care of your mind as you do of your body in the following sections:

Though stress is a purely mental phenomenon, it can have some very serious and real effect on your physical health. In this section, we will examine all of the ways that stress affects your body. For instance, in some cases, the stress can be a positive response. Unfortunately, most of the time stress can be harmful to you.

The first step in eliminating stress from your life is figuring out what is causing the emotion. This may sound simple, but the causes of stress, or stressors, are so intimately tied to our day-to-day life that we may not perceive how they are aggravating us. On this page, we will show you the various types of stressors and help you identify them in your own life. We will also help you list your stressors and categorize them by severity.

On this page, we will help you deal with your three types of stress -- those you can eliminate, those you can reduce, and those you can cope with. While the stressors you can eliminate or cope with essentially take care of themselves, it's the stress you need to reduce that causes real problems. We will offer you some tips to organize your life and remove some of the stressors that are adding to your frustration. Finally, we will offer you some suggestions that may help you relax when you are feeling stressed out.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.­